Right Here
by Megsio18
Summary: It's been several years since Scott graduated from Horizon but when Sophie decides to step down as counselor of the Cliffhangers, Scott is offered the job. It's a different experience for him on the other side of the line but embraces it. Please Review!
1. Changes at Horizon

Peter stood in front of the window in his office. He watched contently as Sophie helped Jack, a small three year-old boy out of the family minivan. Cara, their five year-old came skipping around the front of the parked automobile with a stuffed puppy in hand. Sophie bent down to whisper something to the children and Peter decided to head outside to meet them on the porch of the lodge.

When he opened the main door he was immediately greeted with a cool autumn breeze. He hurried down the steps just as Cara screamed, "Daddy," and ran to jump in his arms.

"Hi, baby," he said happily as he picked her up and made his way to the minivan where Sophie was now taking their youngest son, Brian, out of the car seat. He had just had his first birthday a week ago and Peter could not help but be amazed at how quickly his children were growing up.

Sophie smiled over her shoulder as he approached his family. "Hey, hun," she said as she held Brian on her hip and leaned in to give Peter a kiss on the cheek. "Joanie called and said she couldn't make it today so that's why we're all here."

"Well, I can't say that I'm not happy to see everyone." Peter gently placed Cara back on her feet and the family of five walked back into the lodge. They made their way to Peter's office with Cara and Jack in the lead.

Once inside the small room, Cara and Jack started playing with each other and the stuffed animal on the couch. Peter took Brian into his arms and made a few goofy faces until the little boy giggled and playfully put a hand over Peter's nose.

Sophie sat at Peter's desk and briefly glanced through a folder that was resting on top of a few books. "I have group in about five minutes. Will you be able to watch the kids until I get done?"

"Of course," Peter said as he offered her a smile. "But, you know, this is the fourth time the month that Joanie hasn't shown up at the house. I think we need to get a new sitter." He placed Brian down on the floor and watched as he crawled over to be with his brother and sister. Peter leaned against the wall and looked to Sophie. "What are you thinking about?" Peter asked her.

"Well, I sort of had a different idea about what to do with the babysitter." She paused and waited for Peter to question her further.

"Okay, what's your idea?" Peter glanced at their three children who seemed lost in a world of their own before turning his attention back to his wife.

"I should really head over to group. Can we talk about it when I get back?" She stood from the chair and tilted her head at him, showing a slight smile.

"Yeah, definitely," Peter responded as he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Have a good session."

"I'll try," she said as she made her way to the other side of the office. When she reached the door she turned and looked at her three kids. "Have fun with daddy. I'll be back in a little bit."

Cara and Jack smiled up and happily shouted simultaneously, "Bye, mommy!" Brian looked up and waved before she turned and left the office, closing the door behind her.

About a half an hour later, Sophie returned to find that Peter's office was empty. She had a pretty good idea where they were so she headed over to the cafeteria. "There you are," she said as she walked over to the table where they all sat. Cara and Jack shared a plate of fruit salad and Peter held Brian, feeding him one piece of fruit at a time. She sat down beside the older children and helped herself to a piece of cantaloupe.

"Hi mommy," Cara said before stuffing a grape into her mouth.

"Hi baby," she replied sweetly. "This is a good snack." She smiled across the table at Peter.

When he caught her eye, he leaned forward with anticipation. "So what was your idea, Soph?"

"Well," she started slowly; "I know this may seem kind of sudden but I've been giving it a lot of thought ever since we brought Brian home." She paused, wondering if he had picked up where she was going with this. When it appeared that he hadn't, she continued. "I think I want to stay home with the kids – full-time."

Peter was caught off guard and shifted Brian to his other knee so he could lean a bit closer to his wife. "You do? Wow…"

"You're not upset, are you?" Sophie quietly asked. She knew the news would come as somewhat of a shock because they had not really talked about her staying home in a few years.

"No, not at all. I'm just a little surprised, that's all. I just remember when you said you didn't think you could ever do anything besides work here." He tried to smile to show that he was not at all angry with her statement.

"I remember that too. And I know I said after we bought Cara home that I still wanted to work and I have no regrets whatsoever, but I really want to be at home all day with them right now. I don't think it's fair for them to have a nanny around as often as they do."

"Look, Sophie, if you want to stay home with our kids all day, that's absolutely fine with me. I think it's a great idea and I'm happy for you," Peter reassured her.

"You're sure?" She asked, not wanting him to feel any obligation to go along with her if he had any reservations.

"Positive, no doubt about it." He bounced Brian on his knee and glanced at the other two children as Sophie put another piece of fruit into her mouth.

"Good," she started. "I was only worried because I didn't know how you'd feel about having to find a new counselor. But I can stay until you find the right person. I won't just abandon you and the Cliffhangers like that."

"I know you won't," he said. "Actually, I think I might have an idea of someone who would make a pretty good counselor."

"Really?" She grinned. "Who do you have in mind for my replacement?"

"Well, one of your first students." He paused and waited to see if she would make any guesses. She cocked her head and smiled mischievously. He let out a short laugh and nodded.


	2. An Older Scott

Scott Barringer sat at his desk which had recently become flooded with papers and books – last minute prep work before he was to start graduate school. He looked around his small apartment and began to realize just how empty it was. Up until just a couple weeks ago, his life had seemed to be going in the perfect direction. But with an abrupt jolt, that reality quickly faded into something of the past.

He walked over to the balcony window that was just off his miniscule living room and looked down at the bustling Denver city streets. He knew she was down there somewhere, keeping herself busy with work and her friends. He wondered how often – if at all – she had been thinking about him.

Just as he let out a heavy sigh, his cell phone rang. He looked around the apartment, unsure of where exactly he had left it. When it rang again, he walked over to the table where his coat was. After the third ring, he pulled it out of one of the pockets and saw that it was Peter who was calling him.

He flipped the phone open and put on a smile; it had been a while since he had talked to his old friend. "Hey, Peter," he said, suddenly feeling just a slight bit better.

"Scott, hi! How're you doing?" Peter seemed excited about something but Scott was clueless. He moved to lean against one of the counters.

"I'm doing alright, man, thanks. How about yourself?" The two made small talk for a few minutes, briefly updating each other about their lives. Peter told Scott how Sophie had decided to stay home with their three adopted children and Scott told Peter how he and Shelby had just decided to take a break from each other.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Scott," Peter said on the other end of the phone. "When did you two decide that?"

"Just last week." Scott's voice was soft and somewhat tired he spoke about the sore subject. He would rather talk face-to-face with Peter, but since they were in two different countries, he knew that was not really a possibility.

They talked for about fifteen more minutes before Peter got around to the reason he was calling. "Look," he slowly began; "I know you're about to start school again – and I'm so proud of you and how well you're doing for yourself – but I was calling to ask if you would consider postponing your doctorate for a while…" He paused for a moment before continuing on.

"Postpone? Why would I do that?" Scott asked, still unsure of what he was being asked.

"Well, with Soph deciding to leave, we have a position open for another counselor and I just wanted to check with you first. Now don't feel obligated or anything. I know how hard you've been working for your psych degree and everything. But you were the first one to come to mind and I just wanted to offer you the opportunity."

"Wow," Scott softly let out. He had never imagined going back to Horizon, especially not as a counselor. After he had graduated from the school and moved on to college, he knew he wanted to help other young teens, but this exact job had never really occurred to him.

Peter seemed to call just at the right time. With Shelby out of the picture now and school about to start, Scott was feeling overwhelmed and unsure about his direction. He tried to imagine just picking up and moving back to Canada.

"If you want some time to think it over, please, go right ahead," Peter told him. But Scott could not help but notice the slight change in Peter's tone as he realized that Scott was indeed considering his offer.

"No, I…" Scott quickly said. He saw a much needed break being offered to him – of course, it was not the same kind of break most people imagined taking after a serious break-up and a grueling year of grad school just around the corner. "I think that sounds like a great idea, actually."

"Really?" Peter sounds like a giddy little kid as soon as the words slipped out of Scott's mouth. Scott had to laugh to himself at the thought of how enthusiastic Peter was being. "That's awesome, Scott," he said. "Wait a minute; you're absolutely sure about this? I mean, it's a big commitment and it will require a lot from you."

"Yeah," Scott said; "I know it is. I just think I need a change right now and you couldn't have called at a better time."

For the first time since he and Shelby had stopped seeing each other, he felt an anticipation to do something for someone else again. For the past few years, he had been concentrating mostly on himself with school, his job at the local crisis center, and trying to make everything work out between him and Shelby. He was ready to step away from himself for a while and really concentrate on others.

He and Peter talked for about a half an hour more. Peter filled him in on some of the details but said they could get down to discussing the specifics once Scott arrived back at Horizon. There had been quite a few changes on the grounds since Scott had been a student there, and he was excited to see what they were.


	3. Getting Reacquainted

Less than three weeks after his initial phone call with Peter, Scott arrived at Mount Horizon. He had always meant to come back to visit Peter, Sophie and the grounds but had been so caught up in all the non-stop business of life that he never managed to get around to it. He and Peter had kept in touch, however, mostly through email and phone calls. That was probably one of his favorite things about leaving Horizon – it had managed to follow him along his journey.

As he walked toward the main administration building, he noticed one large change the school had made right away. There was now a horse stable off near some of the trees and a large corral was stationed beside it. He noticed different groups of teens wandering the grounds but was not surprised that he did not recognize too many faces around campus.

Just as he reached the bottom steps of the building where Peter's office was located, Sophie stepped through the front door. Scott recognized her immediately and made a pretty accurate assumption that the little girl holding Sophie's hand was her daughter.

"Scott!" Sophie screamed when she realized he had arrived. She hurried down the steps and gave him a warm hug. "It's so good to finally see you again," she said once they had embraced.

"It's great to see you too! I know I'm a little early but once I got into town I couldn't wait to get back up here." He smiled at Sophie and then at the little girl. "You must be Cara," he said as he extended his hand for her to shake.

"Yes," she said shyly as she softly gripped his hand. Sophie put her hand on Cara's shoulder and squeezed it in excitement.

"Should we go get daddy?" Sophie asked her daughter. The little girl looked up at her mother and smiled, nodding her head in agreement. "I'm sure you remember where Peter's office is, right Scott?" Sophie asked him with a wink.

"Oh, yeah," Scott replied with a chuckle, quickly thinking back to all the times he had dreaded walking into Peter's office. They walked down the hallway and as they got closer to the office doors, Cara raced ahead to be the first one inside.

There was another hug as Peter greeted Scott, followed by a series of introductions as Peter and Sophie proudly talked about the three children that were also in the office. Jack barely sat still for a minute before he started running in circles around the office. Cara still seemed a little shy and stayed close to Sophie. Brian made himself quite comfortable in Scott's arms as the three adults talked and got reacquainted in person again.

After a while, Sophie glanced down at her watch and quickly stood up. "Oh, I didn't realize what time it is," she said. "I have group starting in just a few minutes." She started walking towards the door but stopped and looked back at Peter and Scott. "Scott," she started; "this is going to be your group. Do you want to meet them?"

"Sure," Scott quickly answered. He stood and took a few steps towards the door.

"Wait," they both heard Peter say from behind them. They turned to see him also standing. "Can I introduce him to the group?" Peter asked, hoping Sophie would not mind.

Sophie knew she could not deny her husband the opportunity to introduce one of his students with whom he had remained close with after all those years since he graduated. "Of course," she said with a smile. She stepped aside and let the two men hurry off to group and she made her way back to the couch to play with her children.

"So did you see the stable out front?" Peter asked as the two walked to where group was being held.

"Yeah," Scott replied. "That's pretty impressive. How many horses?"

"Oh, about a dozen. Some of the kids get a lot out of therapy with the horses and we also have it set up with the town where we give riding lessons and trail guides now."

Scott could not help but smile at how passionate Peter still was towards Horizon. He was thankful he had not only gotten the chance to be a part of the school years ago as a student but also again as a counselor.

As they stepped into the lodge where a group of teens were gathered in chairs, Scott was hit with the memories. Memories of hating the whole concept behind group therapy and also memories of growing as a person and also as a family as a result of group therapy.

"Hey, Cliffhangers," Peter called out with excitement; "you all know how we talked about Sophie leaving and a new counselor stepping in to take her place? Well, this is Scott Barringer."

Scott offered a welcoming wave at the five teens that sat in a semi-circle before him. He noticed a couple of eye rolls and some blank stares, but he also spotted two of the girls smile at each other and he assumed they appreciated the fact that he was a young male counselor.

"You guys have too much energy," Peter said sarcastically. "Why doesn't everyone take a turn introducing themselves and saying why they are here."

Scott was not at all surprised when no one volunteered to go first. Peter finally placed a hand on the teen sitting closest to him. "Mike?"

The boy sighed and sat up in his seat. He had short dark hair and strong, intense eyes. His arms remained crossed as he spoke up. "I'm Mike," he said monotonously; "I'm seventeen; I have anger management issues; got kicked out of military school last semester…" He let his voice drift off and did not bother to look up at either Peter or Scott to communicate that he was done.

"Thanks, Mike," Peter said. "Let's just go around the circle." He motioned for the girl who sat beside Mike to go next.

"I'm Ally," she said softly, also not looking away from the floor and her short blonde hair falling over her face. "I'm fifteen; I'm here because I kept running away from home." She slowly looked up at Peter, who 

nodded for her to say a bit more. "And I kept running away because my brothers beat me while my mom was at work everyday."

"Thanks Ally," Peter said, nodding to show his appreciation. Even though Ally had not looked directly at Scott, he could still see there was pain and fear in her eyes. He noticed her leaning away from Mike, probably an unconscious natural tendency.

"I'm Jenna," the next girl said. She had carrot-red hair that reached below her shoulders. "I'm sixteen, and honestly, I still don't think I really need to be here." She stated this somewhat defiantly a looked directly at Peter.

"Jenna, we talked about this," Peter told her.

"I know we talked about this. We talk about this every freaking day and I still don't understand what everyone is trying to say." She tightly clenched the chair in both hands and bounced her knee in a nervous habit.

"Jenna has been struggling with severe depression for a few years. I'm close friends with both her parents and we worked it out so she could come here instead of a hospital." Peter explained to Scott. Scott nodded and tried to offer a friendly smile at Jenna.

"They weren't really going to send me to a freaking hospital, Peter," Jenna argued. "They just threatened me with that so I would choose to come here instead."

"Why do you think they would threaten you with that?" Peter asked.

"Peter," she started again, "I already introduced myself. Move on." She sat back in her seat and looked to her right as the next girl went on to introduce herself.

"Hi, I'm Becca," she said with a slight smile. She wore glasses and a dark baseball hat. She also looked up at Scott as she spoke, something none of the others had done. "I'm fifteen; I uh…had some problems with my neighbor…then tried to kill myself…then spent some time in the psych ward – not exactly fun," she glanced over at Jenna; "then I transferred here."

"Thanks, Becca," Peter said. "Maybe later you can go into more details with Scott?"

Becca sighed and looked away. "Whenever she's ready," Scott told Peter but intended more for Becca to hear.

"Hey, I'm Eli," the final boy said as he leaned forward in his chair. He wore a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of basketball shorts. "I'm sixteen and I'm here because I'm a recovering alcoholic. My parents kicked me out a few months ago before they sent me here because I trashed the house when they went through my room and took all my liquor."

"Thanks, Eli," Peter said as he clapped his hands together. "And these are the Cliffhangers," he turned to face Scott. "Do you want to say anything?"

"Uh, yeah," Scott said. "I don't really know where to start. Why don't you guys just ask me anything?" No one in the room wants to cooperate without some force, so Scott adds, "Okay, before we leave, everyone has to ask me at least one question. Mike?"

Mike groaned and sat up again. "Fine…Sophie mentioned you used to go here too? What were you here for?"

"Well," Scott started off slowly. "I had some problems with my step-mom…um, she used to rape me, and I turned to drugs for relief. When I got kicked off the football team, my dad sent me here. I was actually in the Cliffhanger group and Sophie was my counselor."

Mike nods, content with Scott's answer and satisfied that he is finished. Ally is next.

"Um," she starts softly. "Why did you decide to come back now?"

"Well, I was getting ready to start my final year of graduate school when Peter called me up. I've been studying psychology but decided to take some time off to come here and help out wherever I can." He smiled at the shy girl and then turned his attention to Jenna.

"How old are you?" She asked without hesitation.

"I'm twenty-three. My birthday isn't for a while but I like chocolate cake, so take note." He chuckles at his own joke and notices most of the group smiles at his attempt of humor. "Next question?"

Becca takes her time thinking. "Do you like horseback riding?"

Scott laughs to himself before answering. "That's a good question. I haven't really been on a horse in about ten years, so it'll take me a few times to get my bearings but I'd like to think that I will enjoy it, yeah."

Becca smiles and then looks to Eli for the final question before they are all dismissed. "Okay, let's see," Eli said. "Um, you said you played football. Do you like any other sports?"

"I love just about every sport. Especially basketball, so if any of you ever want to shoot some hoops, I'm totally there."

All five teens began moving in their chairs when their questioning session was over and Peter knew he needed to say something fast before they tuned him out completely. "Okay, well I appreciate everyone participating today. Scott's a great guy and I know you're all going to warm up to him sooner or later." He winks at Scott as the group stands and shuffles out of the room. "See you all later," Peter says as they walk away.

"I like them," Scott tells Peter as they stand in the room alone. "They all seem interesting."

"Oh," Peter smiled as he patted Scott on the back. "It's all going to be interesting."


	4. Ready or Not

It had been nearly a month since Scott had started working as the Cliffhangers' counselor and things seemed to be going well. He was slowly getting to know each of the members in his group and day by day learned the ropes of being an employee at Horizon.

The group had just returned from a short hike and had enough time to get to the first classes of the morning, though they were not particularly happy about that. Scott sat amongst the five students in the lodge and tried to hurry them along.

"Let's go, guys;" he encouraged the sluggish group. They were clearly trying to take as much time as possible in hopes that Scott would let them skip at least one class but he would not budge. "You have exactly three minutes to get to class."

"Come on, man," Mike tried to argue; "let us have the day off. You freaking woke us up at five to go on the hike. Give us a break."

"Please," Becca asked sweetly.

"I need a nap or something," Jenna complained.

"You guys can rest after classes are done." Scott had learned the mechanics that each individual in his group tried to use in order to get around certain situations. Some of their tricks were his own, in fact, and he always smiled when he told them that they could not fool him because he had been exactly where they were now. "Let's go, let's go," he urged as he motioned for them to all get up off the couch and move towards the door.

"Not cool, man," Eli muttered under his breath as they all obeyed Scott's directions and exited the building.

Scott suddenly felt the desire to go for a run on one of the trails. Even though he had just returned from a hike, it was a slow-paced hike and he wanted to really get his adrenaline going. As he walked towards the doorway, he heard a tapping on the window. He turned and saw Peter standing outside and he motioned for Scott to meet him outside.

Peter had just rounded the corner when Scott stepped outside. "Hey," Peter started. "I have something I want to talk to you about. What are you doing for lunch?"

"Eating," Scott replied with a smile.

"You're just so funny," Peter said sarcastically. "Why don't we meet in the cafeteria around noon and we can talk as we eat."

"Yeah, sure," Scott answered. He figured Peter just wanted to check up on how the group had adjusted without Sophie around. Peter patted him on the shoulder before hurrying away to take care of something by the lake and Scott headed to his office to change into his running shoes.

A few hours later, after a decent run through the woods and a warm shower, Scott stepped into the cafeteria and looked around. He was a few minutes early so he was not surprised when he did not see Peter. He grabbed a tray, went through the food line, and picked a table near the windows. Within five minutes, Peter had also joined him with his food.

"So," Scott started, "what'd you want to talk about?" He took a sip of his water and waited for Peter to speak.

"Well, I had a long conversation last night with a man from North Carolina. He and his son are on their way out here now and he'll be enrolled in a couple days." Peter paused and took a sip of his water before continuing. "Now, I know you and the Cliffhangers have done pretty well so far with all the adjustments and everything and I just wanted to see if you were ready to have a new member join the group."

"Um, yeah," Scott answered. "You think I'm ready to add on?"

"Sure," Peter said. "Your group is one of the smallest on campus right now so it was my first choice, but I wanted to run it by you before I made any decisions."

"I think you know how I'm doing with this job better than I know myself so if you think I'm ready, I'm in," Scott said.

"I do think you're ready. You're great with these kids. I think it really has a lot to do with the fact that you were one of them yourself not too long ago."

Peter and Scott sat in silence for a moment, eating their food. Scott finally spoke up. "So what do you know about this new kid?"

"Well, I talked with his dad for nearly an hour. His name is Sam. He's fifteen. Let's see," Peter paused so he could plan his next description more carefully. "He had a twin sister who was raped last year. She wound up getting pregnant from the rapist and had his baby. Then a couple months ago, she committed suicide."

Scott could not produce any words in response to the short glimpse he had just gotten into the life of a fifteen year-old. He let out a defeated sigh before Peter went on.

"He's been really depressed, which is understandable. But he's isolated himself and his parents are worried that he may turn to the same answer his sister turned to. He's coming from a year that's been extremely rough, but I know you can take care of him here."

Peter had more faith in Scott than he could have ever imagined having in himself. He knew getting to know Sam and help him with his past would be a huge challenge, but he also knew Peter would not consider assigning him to the Cliffhangers if Scott could not handle it.

"They should be here Wednesday morning." Peter took another sip of water. "Do you know who his first-week buddy should be?"

Scott thought about each of his students. Mike might be too intimidating; Ally would probably be too intimidated; Jenna would most likely be too bitter. "Probably either Becca or Eli," he finally replied. "Do you think Becca might have too much in common with his sister?"

Peter could see that Scott was just thinking out loud so he did not offer his opinion.

"I'd go with Eli," he finally concluded. "Probably shouldn't take any risks right off the bat, right?"

"That's good thinking. Yeah, Eli's a good choice," Peter said with a satisfied nod.

The two finished up their lunch and had dropped off their trays when the five Cliffhangers walked in to eat between classes. Both Scott and Peter stopped to say a quick hello before heading outside. "Oh," Scott called over his shoulder; "I have an announcement for everyone at group this afternoon."

With that said, he left the building and the five students exchanged curious looks, not having any idea what the announcement could be.


	5. New Admit

Scott walked towards the front administration building to meet Peter and the new student. He could see a dark car was parked near the main entrance and as he made his way closer, he noticed a lanky boy with shaggy brown hair step out from the front seat. An older gentleman – whom he presumed was the boy's father – was already at the trunk and pulled out a couple bags by the time Scott reached them.

"Scott," Peter said earnestly; "this is Mark Avery and his son, Sam."

Mark Avery immediately offered his hand out to Scott and they greeted each other. "It's nice to meet you," Scott said with a smile. He then turned his attention to Sam, who was staring off in the distance at nothing in particular. "Hi, Sam," he said warmly.

Sam glanced up to him and offered a weak smile. He then turned his attention to the ground.

"He's not exactly happy about this situation," Mark tried to explain. "But my wife and I truly believe it's the best decision."

Peter smiled. "Well, we do, too. All of our students need time to adjust and get acclimated here. It's only natural."

Mark nodded in understanding and looked with hope towards his son. Scott turned to Peter to see what they should do next.

"Sam, Scott can take you to get your physical while your father and I meet in my office." Peter said softly, knowing that many new admits do not go to their entrance physicals with much willingness. Sam merely glimpsed back to Scott before grabbing one of his bags. "And while you're getting examined Scott will need to search your bags. It's a standard procedure here." Again, Sam showed no signs of noncompliance and offered a slight nod.

"Alright," Scott said as he picked up Sam's other bag; "just follow me." The two walked off towards the infirmary as Peter and Mark headed to the office.

"Impressive," Scott said.

"Yeah," Sam replied. "What's that?"

"You're not putting up much of a fight, at least not yet," Scott grinned at Sam as they made their way across the grounds.

"I'm not going to," he said. "I kind of plan more on sliding by under the radar."

"Under the radar, I don't think that really happens here."

Scott was able to catch – for the briefest second – an expression of fear in the new student's eyes. He quickly blinked it away and averted his attention to the large building they were walking straight towards.

"This is it," Scott said as he held the door open for Sam. Once they were both inside, Scott dropped him off at the infirmary room and went into a separate room to check through the bags.

Nothing harmful, dangerous, or prohibited showed up in Sam's belongings, and before long, there was a knock on the door. Scott immediately opened it and saw a Sam standing beside one of the nurses; she held a folder with the physical notes.

"We're all done," she said as she extended the folder to Scott.

"Thanks, Liz," Scott said to the young nurse as he took the folder and held the door open for Sam to enter the room.

"You two take care," Liz said as she turned to go and offered Scott a friendly smile.

Scott returned the smile before looking back to Sam. He closed the door and motioned for Sam to take a seat. Though they sat directly across from each other and only five feet apart, Scott could not manage to catch Sam's gaze at all for the rest of their meeting.

Scott went over all the rules and expectations for students at Horizon. Sam nodded here and there but had no questions or comments. Scott was ready to take the new boy to Peter's office after his routine spiel, but he felt like he needed to say one more thing.

"Look, Sam," he started, "I was only briefed about the past year you had, and I can't imagine what you're going through." Sam's eyes stopped wandering around the room and focused on the floor between them. "I just want you to know that you deserve to be happy, and I'll do whatever I can to help you, okay?"

Sam let out a pained sigh and slowly nodded.

"Alright," Scott said as he stood. "Let's grab your bags again and head over to Peter's office. He should be finishing up with your dad by now."

They each grabbed a bag and left the room in silence. Scott could not help but wonder how to break Sam into Horizon. He had not had to do this yet; each of the other members in his group had already been settled into their lives at the school. Sam would be his first full-fledged student, and he could not help but feel a little intimidated about it.


End file.
